I confess, as I read this article sympathetically my impatience was nevertheless such that I had to scroll down to see when and if he would refer to Kierkegaard, and sure enough, found the reference I was anticipating at the very end, a veritable coup de grace.

I could not help but notice, however, that for Solway, Kierkegaard remains a "Danish philosopher." The question I have for Solway and for his readers, as well as readers of Hayek (whom he quotes with approval) is this: Why must the positive view of the individual expressed here continually drive those concerned for individual freedom and potential to the atheist Ayn Rand, or to Kierkegaard as individualistic philosopher (an unjust caricature if there ever was one), rather than to Kierkegaard the exegete of Christian scripture, the author of Christian Discourses, whose "philosophy" was tested and inspired by the New Testament at every point? For it sure seems to me that if a properly formed response to the barbarian collectivism of the left is to be offered, conservatism will have to do better than a merely secular individualism. Perhaps the coming bicentennial (2013) may yet afford an honest reappraisal of Kierkegaard's vocation and inspiration, but I am not optimistic, no more so than when a great thinker who calls for a radical return to founding principles can see no further than The Federalist Papers, or at most the rise of the individual in the West, i.e., when such a thinker fails to hear the Word Incarnate assuring him that the heavenly Father has accounted for every hair on his individual head.

This critical question aside, let there be no doubt that there are few writers working today as insightful and articulate as Solway.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

"At a time of high unemployment, in other words, the bureaucrats have chosen to make it more expensive and more difficult for ordinary Americans to help their citizens in need. And the liberals wonder what the Tea Party is so angry about."

You would think, however, this is a subject on which Christians of every stripe, liberal, conservative, progressive, and evangelical could agree. No?

And a big thanks (er, "hat tip") to Jack Haberer for the nice write-up in
the October 31, 2011 issue — Reformation Day! — as well as thanks in advance
to Jana Blazek for help with the upcoming webinar.